Sony announced that not only were they closing down the PSN version of PSP, but the PS Vita and PS3 stores as well. For the portables it makes sense as neither of them were not that big of hits in the West. Still, it was an incredible, bleak announcement which made the PS3 closure even more bizarre since that was more popular.
It has been fifteen years since that launched though so maybe it is time to say goodbye. These PS2 games are hard to find physically and the PS3 is the only place to get them without restoring to emulation. Sony has reversed their decision to close the PS3 and PS Vita version of PSN, which is good news, but that doesn’t mean that will get delayed forever. In other words, get these games before it is too late.
10 Castlevania: Lament Of Innocence
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence released for the PS2 in North America on October 21, 2003. It is the third 3D attempt at the series, although the two N64 games are basically the shame. Either way this game is much better than both of those games combined. It’s still not as good as the 2D Metroidvania style games in the series but for a hack and slash game, it does the job relatively well.
9 Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha Vs The Soulless Army
Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs the Soulless Army released for the PS2 in North America on October 10, 2006. Atlus actually released a lot of Shin Megami Tensei stuff on PS3 including this game’s sequel, the two Digital Devil Saga games, Persona 4, Persona 3 FES, and the third main game. Other than Persona 4 which is better experienced with the PS Vita update and Shin Megami Tensei III which is getting remaster, all of these games should be bought before they’re gone. Physical copies can be very rare for them.
8 God Hand
God Hand released for the PS2 in North America on October 10, 2006. This goofy brawler holds a similar place in the hearts of gamers right next to Deadly Premonition.
The gameplay may not be quite as impactful as what the director, Shinji Mikami of Resident Evil fame, wanted but the experience will be unforgettable nonetheless. If anything at least look up the ending song and credits sequence on YouTube.
7 Suikoden III
Suikoden III released for the PS2 in North America on October 24, 2002. This is one of many of Konami’s abandoned properties along with Castlevania. This underrated RPG series never hit as hard as Final Fantasy or even the Tales series. It is beloved by fans though and this can be argued as the last great one with middling entries succeeding it. As a bonus fact, Suikoden IV actually came out on the Japanese PSN store.
6 Contra: Shattered Soldier
Contra: Shattered Soldier released for the PS2 in North America on October 22, 2002. This kept the classic 2D style of the series and made it equally as hard as the NES and SNES games, if not harder. Its sequel, Neo Contra, is also on the service and went in a different direction as a top-down shooter. Both games are worth the $10 admission fee and are certainly inarguably better than the recent release, Contra: Rogue Corps.
5 Fatal Frame III: The Tormented
Fatal Frame III: The Tormented released for the PS2 in North America on November 8, 2005. The first and second games are also on the service, but as they also came out on the original Xbox, this third entry was added to highlight the PS2’s exclusive library instead. Like all entries, this took place in a seemingly real area of Japan wherein players would hunt ghosts with cameras. Even with somewhat dated graphics, it’s still scary beyond belief.
4 Chulip
Chulip released for the PS2 in North America on February 13, 2007. This is interesting because this was five years after the Japanese release which is huge. While good to see it in the West, 2007 was also after the PS3’s launch. This means it didn’t get a lot of attention upon release although it should have. Think of it like a dating sim version of Animal Crossing but much stranger like on Hideo Kojima levels of bizarre.
3 Crimson Sea 2
Crimson Sea 2 released for the PS2 in North America on March 30, 2004. This Koei brawler/shooter has an interesting history. The first game was an original Xbox exclusive while this was exclusive to the PS2. It should also not be confused with Capcom’s Crimson Tears game, which has a similar gameplay style aside from the name. For those that like Dynasty Warriors, another Koei joint, this might be worth a purchase.
2 Maximo: Ghosts To Glory
Maximo: Ghosts to Glory released for the PS2 in North America on February 11, 2002. Unfortunately its sequel did not which is a shame because both games are fun action platformers.
This is a reboot of the Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins series which made full use of the new hardware to go for something new. It’s also a much more accessible title compared to any other entry in the series.
1 Grandia III
Grandia III released for the PS2 in North America on February 14, 2006. Grandia Xtreme, its predecessor, came out on the Japanese store which is the harder game to find in the wild. The first two games in this RPG series just got HD remasters so it is possible both this game and Grandia Xtreme could return one day. The overall series would be nice to see come back as well as this was the last main entry with the technically the last being an MMO that started in 2009 and ended in 2012.